PSO BRAVO! Piano Masterclass With Natasha Paremski

On Saturday, October 5 at 1 pm, piano virtuoso Natasha Paremski coaches four young artists at the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) BRAVO! Masterclass. The masterclass is free and open to the general public, at Gill Memorial Chapel on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. Attendees will observe Ms. Paremski as she offers performance advice to participants David Sun (Thomas Grover Middle School), Evan Lin (Montgomery Upper Middle School), Benjamin Zhao (Montgomery High School), and Elizabeth Yang (Montgomery High School). The masterclass is presented in partnership with Westminster Conservatory, the community music school of Westminster College of the Arts of Rider University.

Natasha Paremksi generates excitement with her musical sensibility and powerful, flawless technique. In previous seasons with the PSO, she performed concertos by Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky. Her 2019-20 season features returns to the Columbus, Colorado, North Carolina, and Princeton Symphonies, among others, in addition to debuts in South Africa and Colombia. In November, she performs Rachmaninoff's complete concerto cycle with Symphoria in New York. She has been awarded several prestigious prizes, including the Gilmore Young Artists prize in 2006, the Prix Montblanc in 2007, and the Orpheum Stiftung Prize in Switzerland. In 2010, she was awarded the Classical Recording Foundation's Young Artist of the Year award. Born in Moscow, she moved to the United States at the age of eight, becoming a U.S. citizen shortly thereafter, and is now based in New York. Ms. Paremski's appearance with the PSO is made possible by the generous support of the Pheasant Hill Foundation.

Here is more information on those students selected for the masterclass:

David Sun

Grade 7 - Thomas Grover Middle School

Piano Teacher: Rita Shklar

Performance Piece: J.S. Bach - Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Major, BWV 848

David started learning piano when he was six years old. He has won several competitions including Gold Prize at the International Music and Arts Society (IMAS) Competition, the Westminster Conservatory Scholarship Competition, first place in the NJ Music Teacher Association (NJMTA) Young Musicians Competition, first place in the Great Composers Competition for the Best Bach Performance Category, and third place in the ENKOR Competition. In 2017, he received Honors and High Honors in 2018 and 2019 at the NJMTA Spring Audition.

Evan Lin
Grade 8 - Montgomery Upper Middle School
Piano Teacher: Rita Shklar

Performance Piece: Charles T. Griffes - The Fountain of the Acqua Paola

Evan has been studying piano for seven years. He loves piano and has been a recipient of numerous awards and top prizes at several prestigious competitions. He is a member of the Montgomery Upper Middle School Orchestra where he plays the violin. Besides music, he enjoys swimming, math, and reading.

Benjamin Zhao

Grade 10 - Montgomery High School
Piano Teacher: Rita Shklar

Performance Piece: J.S. Bach - Prelude and Fugue in A-flat Major, BWV 886

Benjamin has been studying piano with Rita Shklar for five years. He has won many piano competitions at the state, tri-state, and international levels. While not at the piano, he likes drawing and listening to his favorite band, Queen.

Elizabeth Yang
Grade 10 - Montgomery High School
Piano Teacher: Grace Yang

Performance Piece: Carl Vine - Sonata No. 1: 1.

Elizabeth has won numerous competitions such as the NJ Music Teach Association (NJMTA) Young Musicians Competition, the Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) Senior Duet Piano Competition, and the Camerata Artists International Competition. Aside from piano, she enjoys reading, playing the oboe, and swimming.

The PSO BRAVO! piano masterclass with Natasha Paremski is free and open to the public. Reservations are required via princetonsymphony.org or by phone at 609-497-0020.

On Saturday, October 5 at 8pm and Sunday, October 6, at 4pm, Natasha Paremski performs Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 at Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University on a program with works by Glinka and Tchaikovsky. Tickets are $30 and up and available by phone at 609-497-0020 or online at princetonsymphony.org.

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is accepting applications now through February 7, 2020 for participation in its March 2020 PSO BRAVO! violin masterclass coached by renowned violinist Stefan Jackiw. Learn more at princetonsymphony.org/education.

Photo Credit: Andrea Joynt

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